3 . Fantastic Magazines for Learning English

Digital Photographer

Perfect if you like: taking pictures with your camera or phone.

What you’ll find inside: This magazine is full of colorful photos and very pleasing to look at. There are many tips and guides on how to take great pictures, and they are written in simple and easy-to-understand English though there are some technical camera terms. You feel like the writers are talking to you! You can impress your friends with your improved English and your new photography skills!

Fast Company

Perfect if you like: business and learning how successful companies work.

What you’ll find inside: Fast Company is one of the most approachable magazines about business and companies. It has many interviews of successful people, as well as general news about interesting new companies. It does use a higher level of writing than what is usual for magazines, so give it a try first to make sure you can understand the articles.

Cricket and Cicada

Perfect if you like: excellent literature and short stories.

What you’ll find inside: Cricket and Cicada are literary magazines aimed at teenagers. Each issue is full of wonderful short stories and poems, and beautiful illustrations. Even though these are technically children’s magazines, they are perfect for learning English because they have high quality writing.

Mental Floss

Perfect if you like: interesting trivia and facts.

What you’ll find inside: What does outer space smell like? Why isn’t cat food mouse-flavored? If you’re the kind of person who asks yourself these questions, you’ll love Mental Floss. Each issue is full of bite-sized trivia and mostly short articles with really interesting facts that you’ll want to share with others.

While the print edition of the magazine stopped publishing in 2016, you can still read Mental Floss online. Click here to get more information.

1. Which magazine tells something about business and companies?

A．Digital Photographer.	B．Fast Company.
C．Cricket.and Cicada.	D．Mental Floss.

2. What is special about Cricket and Cicada?

A．They focus on drawing skills.

B．They can only be bought online.

C．They are intended for teenagers.

D．They are full of colorful pictures.

3. Where is the text most probably taken?

A．On a website.	B．In a newspaper.
C．In an English textbook.	D．From a science magazine.

4 . Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my father, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy.

Cowboy was undoubtedly the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reasons.

I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers about Cowboy's looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.

When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse is judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.

One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn't feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.

The stinging memory of Becky’s smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena. We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted.

All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.

My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.

As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!

I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I'd always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it.

1. What does the underlined part “... we were quickly shown the gate.” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．We were told how to enter the arena.	B．We were shown how to make the horse beautiful.
C．We were removed from the competition early.	D．We were told to enter the timed-speed events.

2. Why was the writer not confident of victory?

A．He was an inexperienced rider.	B．He believed he was unpopular with the crowd.
C．He had not practiced enough.	D．He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others.

3. What did the writer learn from his experience?

A．Life can sometimes be unfair.	B．Anything is possible if one tries hard enough.
C．A positive attitude will bring success.	D．One should not make judgments based on appearance.

4. What can be a suitable title for the story ?

A．A Run to Remember

B．A Horse’s Tale

C．Neck and Neck

D．A Difficult Age

5 . Many years ago, when we were a young couple with two small children, aged 2 and 4, we were practically impecunious. My in-laws lived from hand to mouth, so we didn’t expect any help from them. My parents lived a great distance away, and I was too ashamed to let them know about our situation.

My husband was trying to earn a living with an old pick-up truck, carrying groceries for local shopkeepers, but it was constantly breaking down. It took almost all the money we had to have it fixed. The truck was also the only means of transportation for us.

We lived in the countryside, and we always used the back door because the driveway led to it. One winter evening, I stepped outside to take a bag of trash to the barrel and almost tripped over something. It was nearly dark, and I had to bend down to see what it was. I could hardly believe my eyes. There sat a large basket loaded with food.

It was heavy, so I called to my husband to carry into the house. Once inside, we discovered two loaves of bread, some butter, several cans of vegetables, a can of orange sauce, and a large turkey. There was so much that I can’t remember it all, but it was everything we needed to fix a wonderful dinner — everything except potatoes.

A little while later I remembered that I hadn’t taken the trash to the barrel. By now it was dark, so I had to turn on the yard light — and that’s when I spotted a small bag of potatoes sitting on the porch.

That dinner was the best I can remember.

We weren’t able to thank our donators, though, because we never found out who had been so generous in helping a struggling young family. Whoever it was, we are forever grateful.

1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “impecunious” in Paragraph 1?

A．Adequate.

B．Penniless.

C．Harmonious.

D．Stubborn.

2. How did the author’s husband support the family?

A．By starting a garage.	B．By selling food door to door.
C．By working as a shop assistant.	D．By delivering goods.

3. How did the author feel when she saw the basket?

A．She was annoyed.	B．She was astonished.
C．She was terrified.	D．She felt a sense of relief.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．A tale of potatoes	B．A reward from a stranger
C．A helping hand in time	D．A struggling young couple

6 . The sea could be the food bowl of the future. In Jervis Bay, south of Sydney, seaweed, which is rich in fibre and omega 3, is grown and harvested.

Pia Winberg is a marine scientist who runs Australia's first food-grade fanned seaweed company. Her crop is grown alongside mussels (贻贝)and is used as an additive in pasta (意大利面)and other products.

Seaweed is also raised in large tanks, where it absorbs carbon dioxide waste from a wheat processing factory. The business is small, but could help to reduce the ecological footprint of traditional farming.

“We used ten percent of seaweed instead of wheat in breads and pastas, we've eliminated a million hectares of land, we've eliminated all of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with that, and we've also reduced the pressures on very precious fresh water.” said Pia Winberg.

Spiny sea urchins (多刺海胆虫)are another blue economy resource. They can destroy marine habitats, but a recent competition for environmental start-ups in Australia, saw them not as a pest but a delicacy (美味).

Martina Doblin, CEO of Sydney Institute of Marine Science, said, “By 2050 we will have some ten billion people on the planet, and about half the food they eat will come from the ocean. So, we really do need to pay attention to the way that we manage the blue economy-generating wealth from the ocean but in a sustainable (可持续的)way.”

Farming at sea has its challenges. Infrastructure (基础设施)has to be sound, as do supply chains and biosecurity. But get these things right, and the ocean might just be the next great economic frontier.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To lead to the main topic.

B．To describe a new kind of seaweed.

C．Tell how important the food safety is.

D．To explain the meaning of blue economy.

2. What can we learn from what Martina Doblin said in paragraph 6?

A．Ocean exploration has made little progress so far.

B．More and more people will die of hunger in the future.

C．More work is needed for a better use of the natural resources.

D．Sea farming will be a good way to solve the coming world food problem.

3. Which word can be used to describe the author's attitude towards sea fanning?

A．Skeptical.

B．Objective.

C．Tolerant.

D．Negative.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．How to Protect the Marine Animals

B．Measures to Develop Blue Economy

C．Farming the Sea for the Future of Food

D．Traditional Farming is Gradually Disappearing

7 . The United States is a nation of car owners. Ninety-five percent of households own a car, and 85 percent of people get to work in one. This lifestyle contributes to congestion on our roads and damages the environment. As autonomous vehicles begin to hit the streets over the next decade or so, it's believed that all this will change.   

Autonomous vehicles will most likely decrease the number and severity of crashes, allow cars to travel more closely together and improve cooperation between vehicles, all of which tend to reduce traffic jams and increase capacity.

However, this future is not assured. To realize the full potential benefits of driverless cars, we will have to act soon to encourage a culture in which transportation is shared. Many people in the automobile industry assume that driverless vehicles will automatically be shared, but there is little evidence that this is true. Most estimates suggest that driverless cars will eventually be only slightly more expensive than traditional cars, which means they'll be within reach of many consumers, so users are not willing to share rides.

If most people are going to buy-in to a shared-ride culture, they need to get a significant benefit. Saving a few dollars off the fare isn't likely to promote the movement dramatically. A better benefit would be knowing that you're going to reach your destination more quickly. The way to guarantee quick passage is to redesign our roads to give priority to ride-sharing autonomous vehicles like building priority lanes. The cost of travel will also be varied based on how efficiently a vehicle uses the roads. Autonomous vehicles carrying multiple people should get higher priority than those carrying one or none at all.

Decision-makers must push for incentives that encourage the most efficient use of our limited roadway infrastructure(基础设施). The autonomous future is rapidly approaching; it is critical that we act now, while the impacts of autonomous vehicles on traffic jams and emissions are still largely within our control.

1. What's the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic.

B．To tell the severe traffic problem.

C．To prove the necessity of autonomous vehicles.

D．To show the damage of cars to the environment.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Autonomous vehicles worsen traffic jams on roads.

B．Autonomous vehicles are likely to reduce traffic jams.

C．Saving some fares contributes to shared-ride significantly.

D．Many people have ridden autonomous vehicles to avoid traffic jams.

3. Which will be a benefit of sharing autonomous vehicles?

A．To save a large amount of money.

B．To promote the development of science and technology.

C．To redesign roads to prioritize car-shared modes.

D．To allow you to reach your destination much more quickly.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Driverless Cars Will Make Our Traffic Problems Worse.

B．Autonomous Vehicles Will Make a Difference to Traffic.

C．Decision-makers Should Take Some Measures Quickly.

D．The Current Situation of Cars in the United States is Serious.

8 . Northeastern University in Northeast China's Liaoning Province said it will remove 52PhD students who failed to finish their studies within the permitted study period. One often has been studying for their PhD for 18 years and another two for 17 years, according to an announcement made by the university's College of Information Science and Engineering on Tuesday.

The students were admitted to the college from 2002 to 2012, a list on the college's official website showed. About 78 percent of them have been studying for their PhD at the college for over a decade. The study period for doctoral students in the university is three years, however, and the maximum length of schooling is six years with suspensions included, according to the management rules of the university.

Chinese universities have been seen clearing those postgraduate or PhD students who fail to graduate at the correct time in recent years. Xidian University in Xi'an of Northwest China, for example, removed 33 PhD students in August, some of whom had been studying for 15 years. Yanbian University in Northeast China's Jilin Province announced on November29, 2019, that it would delist 136 graduate students, including 14 PhD students.

A staff member of the university said that some of the students left without telling the school or going through the correct procedures. The difficulties in PhD study and the improving requirements for academic achievements have been found to be the main reasons resulting in students dropping out, experts said. Yang Liu, an associate professor who graduated with a PhD four years ago from a key university in Shanghai, told the Global Times that it is not strange for some PhD students to drop out under the strict academic review process. He also said that some may be scared off by the economic pressure of long-term schooling.

1. What is the permitted study period for a PhD at most?

A．A decade.

B．7 years or so.

C．6 years.

D．Within 3 years.

2. Which of the following might be the major reason for the dropouts?

A．The long term of schooling.	B．The increasing requirements for study.
C．The economic pressure of schooling.	D．The mixed procedures for leaving universities.

3. What's the best title for the text?

A．The difficulties in PhD study scare off many students

B．Students fail to graduate from their universities

C．University in China's northeast delists over 50 PhD students

D．Chinese University is considering clearing some PhD students

4. Which word best describes the author's attitude to the universities' decision?

A．Objective.

B．Worried.

C．Critical.

D．Hopeful.

9 . China now has 52 sites included on the UNESCO World Heritage list, some of which may give you some clues on your next travel plan.

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is located in Lin Tong County, near Xi’an city, capital of Shanxi province. A total of 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors, chariots and horses, and hundreds of bronze weapons have been unearthed from it. It is believed that it is a major archaeological find, called the eighth wonder of the world, paralleling Egypt’s pyramids.

Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement

Kulangyu Island, known in the local dialect as Kulangsu, is located on the entry of the Jiulong River, facing the city of Xiamen , influenced by Western culture in the 19th century, especially music. With such a harmonious blend of Western music and Eastern culture, Gulangyu is naturally referred to as the “island of music”.

Qinghai Hoh Xil

Hoh Xil, located in the north-eastern end of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is China’s largest and the world’s third largest uninhabited area. Hoh Xil, with high altitude and fierce weather, no people to live there, is a paradise for wildlife and home to more than 230 species of wild animals including endangered species such as the Tibetan antelope.

Huangshan Mountain

Huangshan, known as “the loveliest mountain of China”, lies in the south of Anhui province in eastern China. The scenic area covers 154 sq km, famous for its peaks, rocks, pines, clouds and springs, with a rich cultural heritage.

1. Where will you go if you are interested in history during your stay in Xi’an?

A．Qinghai Hoh Xil.

B．Kulangsu.

C．Mausoleum.

D．Huangshan.

2. What is special for Kulangsu compared with the other three World Heritages mentioned in the passage?

A．Its beautiful scenery.

B．Its value in Archeology.

C．Its unique natural living environment for wildlife.

D．Its mixture of Western music and Eastern culture.

3. Where may the passage be taken from ?

A．A science fiction.

B．A history textbook.

C．A travel guidebook.

D．An entertainment magazine.

10 . A trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. To get the most out of your visit, read our tips below：

Visit at Night

Riding up the Eiffel Tower at night and looking out over the streets of Paris, you’ll see why Paris is known as the “City of Light”. At street level，the spotlights on the top of the Tower zoom across the Paris skyline, and the reflections of the Tower in the Seine are sights not to be missed.

Purchase Your Ticket in Advance Online

Bypass the long ticket lines at the Eiffel Tower by purchasing your ticket online from the Eiffel Tower website. You’ll pick a time to visit, and then select whether to print out the ticket or display it on your phone or iPad a convenient option if you buy your ticket in Paris without easy access to a printer.

Don’t Bring Valuable Objects with You

Before entering the Eiffel Tower, your bags will be examined by a security officer. If an item you are carrying sets off the metal detector, the officer will take you away from the line for further inspection. We’ve stood in line for hours behind people who missed their chance to go up the Eiffel Tower.

Have Drinks and Snacks at the Eiffel Tower

If you’re like us，after an exciting trip to the Eiffel Tower，you’ll be ready to rest your legs and have a relaxing snack and a drink in a Parisian cafe. Across the Seine in the Trocadero area, there are many elegant cafes. The atmosphere is great, but the prices are in the stratosphere. Actually, the perfect place for common visitors to eat and drink is on the Eiffel Tower itself.

1. Why does the author suggest visiting the Tower at night?

A．Because you can stand on the top of the Tower.

B．Because you can avoid the crowds and enjoy it peacefully.

C．Because you can have a special sight of the city of Pairs.

D．Because you can see the Seine as clear as possible.

2. Why did some people fail to go up the Eiffel Tower?

A．Because they didn’t seize the chance.	B．Because they lost valuable objects.
C．Because they set off the metal detector.	D．Because they had a quarrel with the officer.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The author recommends tourists have snacks at the Eiffel Tower.

B．The Eiffel Tower provides expensive foods and drinks.

C．The author prefers to eat across the Seine.

D．You spend more if you have snacks at the Tower.